Tony Stewart, Jeff Gordon feel sponsorship squeeze

The economic sinkhole is sucking everybody in, whether you are white collar, blue collar or wear a fire suit to work.

Sponsorship dollars are getting harder and harder to find in NASCAR. Those caught in the squeeze aren't just the fringe guys looking for a ride.

Just ask Jeff Gordon and Tony Stewart. Neither of those guys have primary sponsors lined up for next season.

Gordon also is nearing the end of a nearly 20-year relationship with DuPont. Making his situation even dicier: A potential deal with Walmart recently collapsed at the bargaining table.

"We have a lot of people working hard on it, and it will come together," Gordon said last week at New Hampshire. "The Walmart thing was a little disappointing because I feel like everybody wanted to see that company in this sport for a long time and we would have loved to have represented them.

"But I'm so excited to be involved with DuPont and Pepsi and sponsors that we have had for a number of years. We still have some things that are going to come together."

Stewart also is feeling the pinch. He needs a primary sponsor for 14 races next season after Old Spice announced earlier this year it would withdraw sponsorship because it is changing marketing strategies.

"We all understand why corporate America has had to pull the reins back a little bit," Stewart said. "… It's still a thriving sport, and it's still represented by a lot of Fortune 500 companies. … The sport is very healthy right now. All you have to do is walk through the garage area and see that."

Stewart obviously is trying to put a good face on this situation, but it's impossible to ignore the facts:

Two of NASCAR's biggest stars need to hitch a ride with a sponsor next season. Guys who have combined to win five Cup titles. OK, Gordon has four of them, but still, these guys are easily among the top 10 prominent drivers in the sport.

There are empty seats at every turn, literally. Last week, there was lots of open room in the grandstands at New Hampshire.

Forget chasing championships. The chase for sponsorship dollars is where the focus needs to be until there is a bump in the economy.